The present invention relates to a paper feeder for feeding copy paper to an image forming apparatus wherein the number of copies on display is incremented upon the transport of a sheet of copy paper to a specified position in a path of transport, the paper feeder being adapted to count the sheets with a counter and display the resulting count at the same time as the sheet of copy paper reaches the specified position.
Paper feeders are already known for feeding copy paper to copying machines, printers or like image forming apparatus as an option for use with the apparatus.
Some such paper feeders are not provided with an interface in view of their universal use and are therefore controlled independently of the image forming apparatus for setting or displaying the number of copies.
However, when the paper feeder and the image forming apparatus are individually set to the number of copies to be made for a continual copying operation, the feeder and the apparatus are adapted to increment the number of copies or sheets of copy paper on display, not at the same time, but at different times, so that there is a period during which the feeder and the apparatus display a different number of copies or sheets. It is therefore difficult for the operator to accurately recognize the number of copies produced currently.